Mobile photovoltaic battery charging station

ABSTRACT

A solar cell plate for generating electric current includes a number of individual plates that can be moved in relation to one another to produce a convenient packing size.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are known mobile solar panels that are provided to supply currentto garden lamps, where the garden lamps are designed in the form ofbattery-powered units that can be electrically connected to solarpanels.

The known solar panels are relatively bulky so that transporting andstoring them is costly and awkward.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The current invention with the features of claim 1 has the advantagethat a relatively large-area solar panel can be changed from thelarge-area, bulky dimensions of its functional position to a smallpacking size for transport or for a functional position with a minimalcurrent efficiency, and is therefore particularly reliable and easy tomaneuver and is also mobile.

The fact that the solar panel is comprised of individual panels similarto fan slats that can be pivoted around a common pivot axis or opened uplike a fan, and can be folded back into a compact position from thefanned-out position, results in a simply designed, rugged solar panelthat can be quickly, easily, and reliably transported.

The fact that the solar panel is supported in folding fashion on a basewith an inclined surface makes it possible for the solar panel to bequickly, easily, and reliably brought into an optimal angular positionin which the solar panel is oriented toward the sun so that the greatestpossible electrical efficiency is assured.

The fact that the solar panel is fastened to a podium-like housing thatsupports the solar panel on the front side that constitutes the toppanel of the podium and has a handle on the back side makes the solarpanel a compact, particularly convenient box that can be rapidly andreliably set up.

The fact that the housing has a plug opening in back for the plugcontact of a battery pack, in particular for electric tools, allows thebox with the solar panel to be used in a particularly advantageous wayas a mobile, solar-powered battery-charging station for operation onconstruction sites that do not have a high-voltage network.

The fact that the housing is equipped with charging electronics on theinside that are connected to the electric plug contacts in the plugopening makes the battery-charging station particularly rugged andinsensitive to shock and impact under rough transportation conditionsand with hard construction site use.

The fact that the housing has a charge control indicator assures it offunctioning reliably as a battery-charging station.

Because the solar cell plates, which are arranged in a stack, areelectrically coupled to one another and to the electrical contacts ofthe plug opening by means of electrical sliding contact, the solar panelhas an effective maximal size, which results from the sum of theindividual surface areas of the opened up solar cell plates.

The fact that the housing of the solar battery-charging station hasventilation slots prevents an overheating of the electric and electroniccomponents contained inside, in particular the charging electronics,even at high outdoor temperatures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The current invention will be explained in detail below in conjunctionwith an exemplary embodiment and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional side view of the solar battery-chargingstation,

FIG. 2 shows the solar battery-charging station from the left,

FIG. 3 shows the solar battery-charging station from behind,

FIG. 4 shows the solar battery-charging station from underneath, and

FIG. 5 shows the front view of the solar battery-charging station, withthe solar cell plates spread out in the shape of a fan.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of the solar battery-chargingstation, with a stack 16 of solar cell plates 20 folded into the compactposition, the uppermost solar cell plate of which is exposed, can beactivated by light, and, like the remaining solar cell plates, issupported so that it can pivot around a swivel pin 22. The individualsolar cell plates 20 can be moved independently of on another around theswivel pin 22, but are electrically connected to one another. They haveidentical dimensions and are sized so that after being spread out bypivoting around the swivel pin 22 in the manner shown in FIG. 5, theyform a semicircular solar panel surface, which converts incidentsunlight into electric current in proportion to its surface area.

The stack 16 of solar cell plates 20 is situated on an inclined surface24 of the housing 12, which surface is similar to the top of a podium.The base 14 of the housing 12 can be securely placed on any surface.

In order to spread out, the uppermost solar cell plate 20 is pivoted inrelation to the symmetry axis 18, all the way to the right or left whilethe remaining solar cell plates 20 axially adjacent to the uppermost oneare “fanned out”0 to the left or right, describing a semicircle. Theinside of the housing 12 contains electrical connecting means andelectronic elements, not shown, that are usually provided in connectionwith battery-charging units. The housing 12 has a handle 28 in back,which is designed in the form of a spade handle.

FIG. 2 shows the details explained above in connection with FIG. 1, butno further mention of these details is required. FIG. 2 shows theposition of the pivot axis 23 and of the swivel pin 22. It is also clearthat the stack 16 is comprised of seven separate, identically designedsolar cell plates 20.

FIG. 3 shows the back of the solar battery-charging station 10, wherethe back of the inclined surface 24 and of the housing 12 can be seen,as well as the design of the handle 28; a plug opening 30 is also shown,into which is plugged the plug terminal of a battery pack of the kindused for battery-operated hand-held power tools. Ventilation slots 32are also shown, as well as a charge control indicator 26 that indicatesthe charge state of a battery pack when one is plugged in.

FIG. 4 shows the underside of the solar battery-charging station and thedesign of the handle 28 with a grasping opening 34.

FIG. 5 shows the front view of the solar battery-charging station 10; inaddition to the details mentioned above, which are not discussed againhere, FIG. 5 particularly shows the seven solar cell plates 20, whichare electrically connected to one another, spread out like a fan.

On each solar cell plate, close to the swivel pin 22, the figure alsoshows a slip ring contact 36 via which the individual solar cell platesare electrically coupled to one another like links in a chain. Thisproduces a series connection of the individual solar cell plates so thata charging current is present at the plug opening or at the chargingterminal for battery packs and the intensity of this charging current isproportional to the total surface area of all seven solar cell plates.

If the solar battery-charging station according to FIG. 1 is foldedtogether, then only a minimal charging current is present, which isproportional to the surface area of the top solar cell plate 20.

On their front side or top, the solar cell plates 20 have alight-converting layer, which feeds into a common electrical contactpoint. The back side, which is comprised of a mechanically stablesubstrate, is spaced apart from the neighboring solar cell plate 20 byan air gap to prevent the light-converting layer from being scratchedwhen the stack 16 is spread out or folded together.

The electrical contact point is disposed at the bottom end of each solarcell plate 20 and constitutes a slip ring contact 36 there. On the frontside, this slip ring contact is embodied in the form of an arc-shapedconnecting link and on the back side, it is embodied in the form of anelectrically conductive protrusion. Thus, each protrusion of a solarcell plate 20 engages in the arc-shaped connecting link of a neighboringsolar cell plate 20 disposed underneath it in the stack 16.

1. A solar cell plate for generating electric current, comprising: aplurality of individual solar cell plates that can be moved in relationto one another by pivoting around a common axis, such that the pluralityof individual solar cell plates are opened up in the manner of a faninto a fanned-out position or folded back into a compact position fromthe fanned-out position to form a small packing size, wherein in thefanned-out position, the plurality of individual solar cell plates forma maximum surface, wherein the plurality of individual solar cell platesare supported on a podium housing base having an inclined surface formaintaining an optimum angular position of the solar cell plates,wherein said podium housing base essentially has the contour of a singlesolar cell plate, wherein the podium housing base is hollow on theinside and is used as a battery-charging station, and wherein the podiumhousing base has a plug opening on its back side that is equipped withelectrical contact pins and accommodates a battery.
 2. The solar cellplate according to claim 1, wherein the individual solar cell platesform a stack, wherein the front side of each solar cell plate has alight-converting layer with a common electrical contact point, andwherein the back side, comprised of a mechanically stable substrate, isspaced apart from the neighboring solar cell plate by an air gap.
 3. Thesolar cell plate according to claim 2, wherein the stack is comprised ofoblong solar cell plates and has a pivot axis at one end, and theindividual solar cell plates are connected to one another in chainfashion and can pivot in relation to one another around this pivot axis.4. The solar cell plate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality ofindividual solar cell plates form a stack, and wherein when the stack ofsolar cell plates is spread out, a current is generated whose intensityis proportional to the total surface area of the solar cell plates.